Pinku-Enchanted Life

Our gang of girls at work is forever into planning the next fun thing to do. From being dressed in sync to shopping sprees to sneaking out for a lunch or movie or even at times planning a socially relevant protest - we are upto it all and more. Last weekend bored with the office canteen food and craving something nice talk started about doing a pot luck. Most of us being non-veg lovers the food of course was going to be predominantly non veg we did decide on a couple of veg dishes as well keeping in mind the token vegetarian in the group and also to provide ourselves from the overload of non veg. I was told to get a fish dish and it better be finger licking good I was told. Monday was set as the D day. The weekend being ample prep time. Now Sunday was also Jamai shoshti or the Day of the Son in Law in Bengali households. Mom was getting ready to cook up a storm in the kitchen. With outside temperatures already hitting 45 degree plus I managed to dissuade her and instead opted for a lun

My love for all things wintry is well known. And honestly tell me what is there not to love? The oranges and groundnuts in the sun, steaming hot sarson saag with makki di roti, kebabs, biryiani and niharis. Lots of weddings, bonhomie and warm gajar and moong halwas not to mention delicious hot gulab jamuns.And in my case my beloved nolen gurer rassogulla. Its perfect. Another ultimate winter delight is the stuffed parathas and kachoris. So from gobhi (cauliflower/cabbage), mooli (radish), gajar (carrot), aloo (potato) to the yummiest of the lot - matar (peas) I love them all. And what makes an ordinary winter morning not so ordinary anymore is the smell of fresh matar kachori or kochuri as we bongs call it being fried. The yummylicious smell of frying maida and the tinge of hing in it is what heaven is made of. Today was one such day - Mom made us hot matar kochuri for breakfast and since this is something u want to eat as soon as its been taken off the kadhai - we actually sat down to

Pratima at RK Puram Kalibari Pujo Durga Pujo - the annual vacation of Goddess Durga when she comes visiting her parental home alongwith her children is a time of joy, festivities and gluttony in Bengal and all those pockets of the world that Bengalis inhabit. Unlike the austerity, fasting and prayers followed through the rest of the country during the autumn Naratras - Bengal alongwith neighbouring Assam, Orissa and Jharkhand erupts in joy. The Pujo is all about new clothes, socializing, reunions, cultural activities and food. Its a carnival of sorts and it runs for five days!! While the rites and rituals are carried on by pandits the rest of us are kept busy with pandal hopping, participation in dance, music, recitation competitions, catching music and theater performances all of course accompanied by liberal doses of chops, cutlets, moghlai parathas, radhabolobis and many, many kinds of mishti. The beginning of this gastronomic 5 day extravaganza is rightfully marked by Anando mela.